borradaile



` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

LEWIS L. BORRADAILE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH O. BORRADAILE, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,224, .dated April 23, 1895.

Application filed February 5, 1895.

Serial No. 537,360.l (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

B e it known that I, LEWIS L. BORRADAILE, a citlzen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Out-Out Systems, of which the following is a specification,

The invention relates to an automatic cut- Io out system, and is especially adapted for use with electric railways, of the over-head trolley c ass.

The many objections at present urged against the adoption of trolley systems, such I5 as are now used, arise from the risk and danger incurred and the fatal accidents to man and beast. The frequency of such happenings has rendered the system universally unpopular and in many instances, led to the zo adoption of the cable and storage battery systems, which, though more expensive and less efficient, are commonly considered free of danger. In the operation of trolley systems, safety devices are employed to control secz 5 tions of the trolley wire and are intended,

upon a break occurring, to operate automatically in cutting out that particularl section, but failure of these devices to operate, as the live ends of the wire fall and before they strike 3o the ground and deal death to bodies coming in contact therewith, gives rise to the-objections above mentioned.

In view of the superiority of the trolley system in point of cheapness, efficiency and sim- 3 5 plicity, it is the object of this invention to producea cut-out system, whereby, upon the trolley wire becoming fractured to an appreciable extent or broken, the section will be immediately and automatically cut out and the '4o falling or sagging extremities thereby rendered entirely harmless. Further, the object is to utilize atmospheric or other pressure to actuate the cut-out and thereby dispense with magnets, fuses, plugs and similar devices; and further, to employa simple and inexpensive construction capable of being applied`to systems now in use, at a comparatively triliing cost, and without necessitating change or alteration in their construction or operation.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel construction and an arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming 'part of this specification, similar letters of ref- 55 erence indicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure 1, is a view in central, vertical longitudinal section, showing one embodiment ofthe invention applied. Fig. 2, is a view in 6o elevation, of the same.

In the drawings: A, designates a portionof the line or trolley wire of an electric railway system, such as is at present used, the mountings, connections and feeders all being of well- 6 5 known construction, safety devices, however, in the nature of fuses, automatic switches and the like, being dispensed with. This wire, differing from that commonly employed, is hollow or tubular and each section thereof is 7o sealed at the ends after being (partially or wholly exhausted.

' B, designates'one of a series of boxes,there being one or more for each section, which communicates with the tubular trolley wire through a connection b. Secured as an airtight partition in each of these boxes, isacor-l rugated diaphragm b2, which, if found desirable, may be provided with an outward acting spring b3, shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, 8o as encircling the shank of a contact point, which is attached by being passed through an opening and projects from the outer face of the diaphragm, where it terminates in the form of a conical point or stud b4. The inner end of the shank is movably mounted in a stud or standard b5, which serves as part of a metallic branch circuit and forms a .sliding contact, the stud being electrically connected with the line or trolley wire, by coiled wire h6. 9o Secured in and insulated from the head of the box adjacent the diaphragm, is a connection or lead from one of the guard wires, there being ordinarily two of such guard wires, which are arranged, one on each side, below the trolley wire. The extremity of this wire is hollowed out or approximately bell-shaped, and adapted to receive the projecting point of the diaphragm and thereby complete a circuit through the guard wire.

In use, by reason of the atmospheric pressure being in excess of that within the tubular IOO sections of the trolley wire, and the connecting boxes, the diaphragms will be forced inward centrally, and so retained until the pressure becomes equalized, which can only occur upon fracture or breaking ot' the tube, to permit the entrance of air. With the diaphragm in its normal position, that is, depressed centrally,`the contact point is thereby drawn inward, so that it lies clear, or out of engagement with the beli-mouthed branch or lead from the guard wire. Vhen, however, a break occurs in a section, air enters and instantly fills the tubular section and its cut-out boX, forcing the diaphragm outward and forces the point into the bell-mouthed extremity of the lead and thus cuts out that particular section, which renders the wire harmless. The travel of the point may be made as slight as would be consistent with accurate working and to zo insure against its being accidentally released.

LEWIS L. BORRADALE.

Witnesses:

W. H. PUMPHREY, F. M. JOHNSON. 

